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Tuvalu Geography 2016
https://allcountries.org/world_fact_book_2016/tuvalu/tuvalu_geography.html
SOURCE: 2016 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES











Tuvalu Geography 2016
SOURCE: 2016 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES


Page last updated on February 11, 2016

Location:
Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia

Geographic coordinates:
8 00 S, 178 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 26 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 26 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 0 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 238

Area - comparative:
0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
24 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Terrain:
low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Elevation:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m

Natural resources:
fish, coconut (copra)

Land use:
agricultural land: 60% arable land 0%; permanent crops 60%; permanent pasture 0%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 33.3%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 6.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
NA
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Natural hazards:
severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were three cyclones; low levels of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

Environment - current issues:
since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities; beachhead erosion because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from increasing ocean temperatures and acidification; Tuvalu is concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the nine coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon


NOTE: The information regarding Tuvalu on this page is re-published from the 2016 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Tuvalu Geography 2016 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Tuvalu Geography 2016 should be addressed to the CIA.




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This page was last modified 27-Apr-16
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